Four Malawian peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been killed, the Malawian military said on Thursday.

The military "has lost courageous, hardworking and disciplined soldiers who were always ready to serve to ensure that peace prevails," the Malawi Defence Force said in a statement, adding the fatalities occurred on Wednesday.

The statement said the one sergeant and three privates were aged between 29 and 38, but gave no further details on where or how they died.

It added that their remains would be repatriated when the United Nations had completed procedures after the incident.

Reports of fatalities

Earlier, the deputy head of the UN peacekeeping force in the DRC, Mr Bernard Commins, said peacekeepers and Congolese troops had been wounded in an offensive against a militia in the east of the country.

Also Read

There were also reports of fatalities but Mr Commins said he was "unable" to say if this was the case.

The joint operation was launched on Tuesday against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group rooted in Ugandan jihadism and blamed for a series of attacks in the region.